1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to row crop cultivators and, more specifically, to a sweep having a profile which is similar to that defined by the plant beds and the middle area between the rows that are cultivated.
2) Related Art
A typical single shank row crop cultivator today utilizes a system with either a single flat sweep or a point and double share to work the soil between rows. The ends of a conventional cultivator sweep disturb a considerable amount of soil near the row necessitating some form of shielding to protect the plants and resulting in decreased productivity because cultivation speeds have to be lower and draft is increased. Cut-away disks may be provided in addition to the sweep system so that a narrow cultivating band is possible to assure weed kill near the row. However, the disks are heavy and expensive and can require much maintenance.
The profile of the area between rows of plants is often shallow in the center and raised adjacent the rows so that deep cultivation takes place adjacent the row while the center area is cultivated too shallowly. To get needed depth between rows, the area near the rows has to be cultivated relatively deeply. The deep cultivation near the rows not only increases soil throw and draft, but at times causes damage to plant roots. Because the row-side wing runs deeper in the soil than the opposite or middle-side wing, side loading and shank pivot loading are increased. Valuable moisture may also be lost near the row by the deep tillage. In certain crops, particularly small crops like beets which require a very exact row spacing for harvesting, the sweeps can actually cause problematic row shifting during cultivation.